


Nightmares and Mutants

by NaughtyBees



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Nightmares, basically Strong is a nice guy ok, super mutant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 04:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6180754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaughtyBees/pseuds/NaughtyBees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a particularly bad nightmare, MacCready decides to go talk to Strong instead of going back to sleep. It was a good choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares and Mutants

**Author's Note:**

> Strong is honestly my favourite companion next to MacCready.

MacCready yelped as he jumped awake in a cold sweat, the images of the past still fresh in his mind. He pressed a hand to his face, feeling how wet it was. He hadn't realised he'd been crying. He took a moment to steady his shaky breaths, his heart still thumping against his ribcage. He tried to convince himself that he'd be able to kill any ferals that decided to intrude on the settlement right now, but he was honestly in a bad way. That was one of the worst nightmares he'd ever had. He knew Duncan was alright but it still made him wonder about what would have happened had he not have saved him. 

Too pumped with adrenaline to go back to sleep, he rose to his feet. It was a pretty cold night so he picked up his blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders. He left his cap on his bed, just bringing his pistol. He shuffled past Hancock's bed, ignoring his twitches and mumbles. The ghoul had a lot of psycho fuelled action dreams and always had a good tale to tell.   
MacCready walked downstairs, looking around. Dogmeat was asleep in his kennel, half chewed radstag bone still between his paws. Mac knew better than to wake him as he'd be practically held against his will into a five hour game of fetch. 

Glowing eyes peered out of a window at him and MacCready watched as Nick Valentine sauntered over. He passed the sniper his cigarette, a metal hand resting on his shoulder. MacCready took a deep drag of the cig, feeling it relax him a little. He looked up at the moon, exhaling through his nose. He felt a silent, innate connection between them both, knowing that Nick knew why he was awake. They both had the same reason for the sad glint in their eyes as they looked at the moon.   
Nick gestured to the cigarette. "Keep it. You need it." He mumbled as he turned away. 

"Thanks, Valentine." MacCready said with a half smile as he watched him go back to his work. He sighed softly and shuffled towards the campfire in the middle of the settlement, noticing that the log seat was occupied. He walked forward and sat himself down beside Strong, sighing softly as he looked at the crackling flames. The super mutant paused in his eating, mouth still full of meat. Green fingers shoved a raw lump of brahmin meat at him and MacCready shook his head. 

"Human like Strong's brother. Brothers share." Came the reply, deep enough to make MacCready's chest cavity vibrate at this proximity. "Oh, human like meat like other humans..." Strong then dropped the hunk of meat in the pot above the fire, looking at MacCready to gauge his reaction. 

"Thanks, Strong. I'm not hungry." He gave him a half smile, a little surprised when Strong wiped his bloody hands on a nearby cloth. He noted that the boss had taught Strong lots of things since bringing him here and this must be one of them. 

"...why Mack Ree Dee awake?" Strong asked, tilting his head like a curious puppy. MacCready smiled a little, always appreciating the fact that Strong seemed to care about him. He was, of course, second to the boss in Strong's eyes, but his big green friend was one of the most reliable people he'd ever met. He didn't have the brainpower to be sneaky or work behind his back. He kept his heart on his grubby, bloody sleeves. 

"I... I had a bad dream." MacCready muttered. He looked at Strong, noticing that the mutant was waiting for him to keep speaking. "...when I was back in the Capital Wasteland - you know, the place with the yellow mutants that come from a vault? I've told you about it." He waited for a grunt of understanding before continuing, trying to keep it simple for the super mutant's low mental capacity. "I met a beautiful girl... We got married and had a son. And I loved her so much. I loved her more than the air I breathe. But we were hiding in the subway and..." He swallowed back a lump in his throat. "...Lucy, she... Feral ghouls... I couldn't stop them from killing her..." 

Strong interrupted MacCready by putting a hand on his back which made the human jump a little. He looked up, seeing how the mutant's lip was curled back in a snarl.  
"Strong smash all ghouls for Mack Ree Dee! Strong crush and rip and break!" He growled, seemingly seething with rage. 

MacCready was shocked to say the least. He hadn't expected more than a 'stupid, weak humans' from Strong. He blinked a little before smiling and wiping his eyes on the corner of his duvet. "You wanna do that for me? Can I ask why? You're not normally so caring."

Strong curled his fingers tightly around Mac's shoulders, bruising him a little. "Strong want weak human friends to be as strong as Strong! If Mack Ree Dee need time to get better, Strong protect until then." He reached into the pot, grabbing the brahmin steak and offering it to MacCready. 

Mac hesitated before taking it, softly thanking Strong. He noted how well done it was but also how it seemed to have a large bite mark in it. He muttered something about saving it for later and threw it towards Dogmeat's kennel. The dog woke up, happily wolfing down the meat. He then brought his ball over to the pair, whining softly.   
"Strong? You're not really going to eat Dogmeat, are you?" MacCready asked him. 

Strong took the ball from Dogmeat's mouth and threw it. It sailed far into the distance, becoming lost in the darkness. The dog barked happily and ran after it, determined to find it.   
"Strong think dogs tasty but this dog great fighter. Rip out raider throats!" The mutant bellowed happily, clenching his fist for emphasis. 

MacCready snickered quietly, thinking about how easy it was to please Strong. He liked most things Strong liked. Aside from sharing. He hated sharing his hard earned caps.   
 Yawning widely, MacCready wrapped his blanket tighter around himself. "Thanks for listening to me. The others might think you're just another mutant but you're my best friend." He muttered, unable to stop himself from leaning against his muscular arm, exhaling as he let his drowsiness catch up to him. 

Strong thought for a moment, his tiny brain wondering what to do next. He thought about what people did in this situation and decided to do the same, putting an arm around the human.   
"Mack Ree Dee Strong's best friend. Great warrior. Fight best of any human. Strong protect forever."

MacCready muttered something unintelligible as he fell asleep, snuggling into Strong's pungent, green flesh. Anyone would have said he was crazy, or too trusting, or that he had a death wish. But Mac knew that Strong was more trustworthy than most of his friends. He was loyal and protective, sweeter than he seemed and a lot more caring than he let on. 

And this was proved when MacCready woke up laid in his own bed with a half raw, half burnt black lump of radstag meat leaking blood down his dresser. 'Breakfast in bed. Thanks, buddy.' MacCready thought to himself as he put his cap on and picked up his rifle.


End file.
